Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched his nationwide cleanliness campaign, the 'Swachh Bharat Mission' or 'Clean India Campaign' from the Valmiki Basti in New Delhi on Thursday. Addressing the nation at the launch, Modi asked India's 1.25 billion people to join the 'Swachh Bharat Mission' and promote it to everyone.
After paying tribute at the memorials of Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on their birth anniversaries, Modi himself swept a pavement at Valmiki Basti, a colony of sanitation workers before the formal launch of the 'Clean India' drive at Rajpath. While launching the mission at Mandir Marg, he also made a surprise visit at the local police station to check on its cleanliness.
Modi said, "Today is the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhiji and Lal Bahadur Shastriji. We have gained freedom under leadership of Gandhiji, but his dream of clean India is still unfulfilled."
He added, "Swachh Bharat Campaign logo is not just a logo, through it Gandhiji is watching us and we all should clean India. I am not claiming that the newly elected government is doing everything. Be it temples, mosques, gurudwaras or any place, we must take efforts to clean our surroundings. Cleanliness is not only the responsibility of the 'safaai kaamgar', it is the responsibility of 125 crore Indians. If Indians can reach Mars at a cheap cost, can we not clean our neighbourhoods?"
Giving credit to previous governments, Modi said, "I do not make any claim that only the newly elected government has done everything. All governments have done something or the other to achieve cleanliness in the country; I greet all of them for this. Swachh Bharat mission is beyond politics. It is inspired by patriotism and not politics."
Thanking the media for supporting this campaign, he said, "I know people will criticise me in the next few days, but to clean India I am ready to face the criticism."
Stating that this campaign cannot be done by only the government or the ministers, Modi said, "The work is to be done by all Indians. This campaign is for 1.2 billion people and I repeat it 1.2 billion times. This work is not only about a 'prachar abhiyan'. It is a big effort but we have a lot of time."
Mentioning that the response he is getting on the social media is heartening, Modi said, "There are thousands of organisations which have been doing the great work of cleanliness, and they should also brought into the picture."
Modi asked people to take pictures of areas where they saw garbage, then clean the area and take pictures of the clean area. He asked people to upload these images on social media using MyGov, a mobile application.
He added, "I have also started a social media campaign, I have invited nine people to post pictures of them cleaning and they will invite another nine people. It includes Goa Governor Mridula Sinha, master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, Bollywood actor Aamir Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Salman Khan, Yoga guru Ramdev baba and a team of Tarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chashmah."
"I feel pained to see mothers and daughters to go in the open to relieve themselves. More than 60% people defecate in the open. Constructing more toilets is extremely important and we can at least do this to respect them. Don’t trust my government, but trust Mahatma Gandhi’s devotion to cleanliness," he added.
Prime Minister Modi also pledged to people saying 'na main gandagi karoonga,na main gandagi karne doonga' (I would not litter and won't allow anyone to do so). He further flagged off a walkathon as part of the Swachh Bharat Campaign.
Swachh Bharat Mission
Swachh Bharat Mission is a massive mass movement that seeks to create a Clean India by 2019. The father of our nation Mr. Mahatma Gandhi always puts the emphasis on swachhta as swachhta leads to healthy and prosperous life. Keeping this in mind, the Indian government has decided to launch the swachh bharat mission on October 2, 2014.The mission will cover all rural and urban areas. The urban component of the mission will be implemented by the Ministry of Urban Development, and the rural component by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
Swachh Bharat Mission for Urban Areas
The mission aims to cover 1.04 crore households, provide 2.5 lakh community toilets, 2.6 lakh public toilets, and a solid waste management facility in each town. Under the programme, community toilets will be built in residential areas where it is difficult to construct individual household toilets. Public toilets will also be constructed in designated locations such as tourist places, markets, bus stations, railway stations, etc. The programme will be implemented over a five-year period in 4,401 towns. Of the Rs 62,009 crore likely to be spent on the programme, the Centre will pitch in Rs 14,623 crore. Of the Centre’s share of Rs 14,623 crore, Rs 7,366 crore will be spent on solid waste management, Rs 4,165 crore on individual household toilets, Rs 1,828 crore on public awareness and Rs 655 crore on community toilets.
The programme includes elimination of open defecation, conversion of unsanitary toilets to pour flush toilets, eradication of manual scavenging, municipal solid waste management and bringing about a behavioural change in people regarding healthy sanitation practices.
Source : Swacch Bharat Mission
Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin)
The Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan has been restructured into the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin). The mission aims to make India an open defecation free country in Five Years. Under the mission, One lakh thirty four thousand crore rupees will be spent for construction of about 11 crore 11 lakh toilets in the country. Technology will be used on a large scale to convert waste into wealth in rural India in the forms of bio-fertilizer and different forms of energy. The mission is to be executed on war footing with the involvement of every gram panchayat, panchayat samiti and Zila Parishad in the country, besides roping in large sections of rural population and school teachers and students in this endeavor.
As part of the mission, for rural households, the provision for unit cost of individual household latrine has been increased from Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 so as to provide for water availability, including for storing, hand-washing and cleaning of toilets. Central share for such latrines will be Rs 9,000 while state share will be Rs 3,000. For North Eastern states, Jammu & Kashmir and special category states, the Central share will be 10,800 and the state share Rs 1,200. Additional contributions from other sources will be permitted.
Swachh Bharat Swachh Vidyalaya campaign
The Swachh Bharat-Swachh Vidyalaya campaign of the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development is being organised during 25th September, 2014 to 31st October 2014 in Kendriya Vidyalays and Navodaya Vidyalya Sangathans. The activities to be taken up during the period include
- Talk in the school assembly by a few children on different aspects of cleanliness every day especially with regard to the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, on cleanliness & hygiene.
- Cleaning of the class rooms, laboratories, libraries etc.
- Cleaning of any statue installed in the school and a talk on the contribution of the person whose statue is installed in the school.
- Cleaning of toilets and drinking water areas.
- Cleaning of kitchen sheds stores etc.
- Cleaning of playgrounds.
- Cleaning and maintenance of school gardens.
- Annual maintenance of the school buildings including white wash and painting.
- Organise essay, debates, painting, competitions on cleanliness and hygiene.
- Constitution of Childrens’ Cabinets to supervise and monitor cleanliness drive.
In addition, the schools will organise film, shows, model activities on hygiene, essay/painting and other competitions, role plays etc. to reiterate the messages of cleanliness, good hygiene and proper sanitation. The Ministry also proposes to introduce half an hour cleaning campaign twice a week in the school involving students, teachers, parents and community members
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